Therapy
by myoptic recollections
Summary: Another imprinting story. Collin imprints on a girl at his physical therapy, but she refuses to date a patient, even before she gets wind of these gang rumors. Maybe her best friend Rachel Black will help her sort this out.
1. Chapter 1

Therapy

The new patient came in, limping slightly on his one crutch. Tammy check the chart that had all of his medical information in it: torn ACL. It was a tendon in the leg, and tearing it was a long, tedious recovery time. Despite that, the patient—Collin—was laughing and joking with the guy who was with him, probably his ride. They were both tall, muscular, good looking, and obviously Native American, though the one on crutches was obviously the more attractive of the two. His dark hair hung into his eyes, which twinkled with mirth as he shoved at his friend.

Tammy shook her head and stopped checking out the new patient from the reception area. She opened the door into the therapy area and cleared her throat. "Collin?" It sounded much more unsure than every other time that she brought a patient back, and she fought a blush.

Collin threw one last punch at his laughing friend before standing up and limping in. He barely looked in her direction as he passed her, suddenly becoming much more serious. That was fine with Tammy; not everyone liked having their muscles stretched and pulled and worked, especially when they were sore.

She led him into a spare room, grabbing the pillows off of the medical table and placing them on the counter before turning around. "Your therapist should be in-oh!" He was right behind her when she turned, and she nearly walked into him. "Sorry," she said, craning her neck back to see him. "Dean will be in shortly. You can have a seat."

The patient—Collin, she reminded herself—looked…shocked. His eyes were wide, and his jaw was hanging open slightly. He took a step even closer to her, but forgot to use the crutch, and stumbled forward slightly.

"Whoa, don't forget that crutch," Tammy chided, as if he were any other patient. As if he weren't staring at her like she had three heads. She grabbed his arms and supported him as she hauled him in the general direction of the table. Boy, was he heavy.

He shook his head and seemed to wake up. "Sorry." His voice was deep and rough, and seemed to reverberate in Tammy's chest. He pulled his crutch forward and took his weight off her, and Tammy reluctantly pulled her hands off his biceps.

She stayed and made sure that he made it onto the table safely before quickly exiting. What the heck was that? she wondered. Maybe he didn't see white people often? Maybe he was unfamiliar with the medical system?

When Dean was done with the examination, Tammy went in to go over his stretches and paperwork, as she did with all of the patients. Collin was lying on the table, a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Does it always hurt this much, or does he not like me?" he asked her, half seriously.

"It'll hurt less once you start getting better," Tammy assured him. She felt oddly over sympathetic that he was hurting. "Do you want an ice pack?"

"Yes!" Collin burst out. "I mean, sure, thanks."

She smiled and left to grab one. By the time she got back, he had pulled himself into a seated position. "Here, prop your leg up on a pillow," she advised. She wrapped the ice pack around his calf. "Whoa, you're skin is so hot!" she said, surprised. "Did Dean work you too hard?"

Collin's head was leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. "No, it's fine." He reached out, his eyes still closed, and grabbed her hand. "See? I'm always like this. Genetic condition."

She gasped a little when he took her hand, her heart beat speeding up. He smiled a little.

"How did you get injured?" Tammy asked softly.

Collin stiffened a bit, and opened his eyes. "I was…chasing a criminal. A really bad guy. We were in the woods, and I wasn't paying enough attention. I slipped on a root and fell, and it snapped. The lee-the criminal got away." His jaw was stiff, and she wanted to reach up and smooth the lines at his forehead.

"It wasn't your fault," she said softly.

He frowned, but didn't disagree.

"Ok, well," Tammy struggled to regain her professionalism even as she noticed how nice it felt to hold his hand, how well they fit together. She reluctantly withdrew. "Dean showed you the stretches already, right? Here's a few sheets with instructions, just in case you forget, and a note for your employers. Do you have any questions?" He shook his head. "Great, then we'll see you next week."

"Wait!" he said as she went to leave. "Are you…what's your name?"

Tammy smiled and pointed at her name tag.

"Tammy," he breathed. She shivered involuntarily at the way he said it, like a caress. "Would you…would you want to have dinner or something?"

Tammy raised her eyebrows. First he's laughing, then he looks at me like I'm a lunatic, then we have a heart to heart and now he's asking me out? She couldn't keep up with his mood swings. Fortunately, she had an easy way out of this problem. "Sorry, I can't date patients. Medical ethics and all."

His expression fell as he nodded. "Right, of course. Would you, though, if I wasn't a patient?" There it was, hope shining in his eyes again.

He had her there. "Maybe," she answered truthfully. "But your ACL's practically shredded, so your recovery will take a few months at least. Especially if you keep forgetting that crutch," she said pointedly as he removed the ice pack and jumped off the table.

He grinned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, doc. I heal pretty quick, though. Should we plan on next Friday?"

She almost laughed at his audacity. "Next Friday? Why don't you get better first, and then we'll see."

"Alright, alright. I'll see you next week, Tammy." He held her gaze meaningfully before turning and limping out the door.

"Don't forget those stretches!" she called after him, once she could breathe again. Despite what she had told him, she checked his records for his age. He looked like he was 25, which was way too old for her mere 19. "He's only twenty," she muttered, surprised, then became angry that she was even considering dating a patient.

"How long're you out for?" Brady asked as soon as Collin came through the door of the waiting room.

"Therapist says three months. I'm hoping to ditch the crutch in a week," Collin said. "Dude, what were you reading?" He picked up the magazine Brady had just put down: Horses Illustrated. There was a large picture of a thoroughbred mid gallop on the front.

"Hey, they're majestic and stuff. It reminds me of my other half," he said, meaning his lupine side. "Let's get out of here. Sam wants an update when we get back."

Collin cast a glance back when they left, but couldn't find Tammy.

"Did you see the girl that brought me in?" he asked as soon as they got to the parking lot.

"Yeah, she was hot," Brady said. "Ow!"

"That's my imprint," Collin said, slapping the back of his head. "Hands off."

"Just saying. I wasn't going to hit on her or anything," Brady defended himself. "Wait, you imprinted? Who's going to go to bars with me when we turn 21?" Collin glared. "I mean, I'm happy for you and all, but you too? We're the two musketeers! Now I'll have to hang with Paul or something." He sighed. "So tell me all about her. Did the angels sing when you saw her face, etcetera?"

Collin laughed. "The angels did a frickin Broadway number. She's gorgeous, and nice, and funny. But she won't date me until the doc clears me, so we'll still be the two musketeers."

Brady rolled his eyes as he unlocked the truck. "Get in the car, man."

As soon as Tammy got home, she called her friend Rachel. She had been one of the first people Tammy befriended on the west coast, and her best friend over here. They had been roommates freshman year at school, and were inseparable ever since.

"I met a guy," she said immediately. "He's…fantastic, Rachel. He's really upbeat and funny, and he's sooo hot. And he asked me out."

"What? Tamora Lee Jones, when did all of this happen?" Rachel demanded.

Tammy giggled, which in itself was uncharacteristic, never mind becoming gaga over a guy. "This morning, at work. I don't know, there was just something about him. Though he was really weird at first; he stared at me like I was dancing the cha cha with a monkey. But then he became much more normal."

"So when are you going out?"

"When he's not a patient anymore." Tammy sighed. "I think." She hoped he didn't just hit on every female around. He could be out right now picking up a cashier as she bags his groceries, she thought. Then she shook her head. Even with all of his weirdness, there was too much genuine in his expression.

Thanks for reading! Reviews much appreciated!


	2. Chapter Dos

Chapter Dos

Tammy was a bit nervous the next time Collin came in, unsure of what to expect. As a tech, or a therapist assistant, she was responsible for following Dean's instructions on patient care. She administered hot and cold packs and supervised exercises. Then Dean came in and checked on their progress.

She steeled herself for Collin's arrival, preparing the hot pack and waiting. Something about him just threw her off balance.

"Dean's 3:00 is here," Laurie called.

Tammy squared her shoulders and marched to the waiting room, her eyes automatically finding Collin amongst all the other relatives out there. He grinned when he saw her and stood up eagerly, again forgetting the crutch.

"Dude, you suck at this," one of the guys with him said, shoving the crutch at him. They looked really similar, Tammy noticed. Brothers, maybe?

She waited patiently for him to limp over to the door, and noticed that her friends weren't watching him, they were watching her. She looked over to the two huge guys, crammed into small waiting room seats, and frowned. They both quickly found something more interesting on the floor to look at.

"You look nice today," Collin said politely as she led him to a room.

She looked back at him suspiciously before saying tentatively, "Thank you."

He laughed. "Relax. I'm not going to jump you or anything. And, you could definitely outrun me." He jokingly waved the crutch at her.

She smiled in earnest, opening the door to a room for him. "How have you been feeling? Any pain or swelling?" She saw the look on his face and quickly corrected herself. "Any _excessive_ pain?"

"Nothing I can't handle," he muttered, throwing himself into a chair. She wrapped the hot pack around his leg and he frowned. "I don't mean to be annoying or anything, but my skin's hotter than that hot pack."

Tammy frowned. "It's heated to 104. If I make it any hotter, it'll burn you."

He smirked. "Trust me, you won't burn me. Just a little hotter?" He looked at her pleadingly.

She huffed. "I suppose." She turned the heat up just a few degrees. "But you call if it gets too hot, hear me?"

"Yes ma'am." He grinned.

When she came back in ten minutes later to check on him, he stopped her before she grabbed the hot pack. "It's too hot for you," he warned.

She rolled her eyes, she did this all day. When her hands touched it though, it was _scalding_.

"I turned it up a bit," he said sheepishly.

He took it off himself, and Tammy wrapped her hands in two towels before she picked it up again. She read the digital thermometer. "130 degrees! Oh my god, are you crazy? Are you ok?" She didn't even know that their packs went up that high.

Collin was eying the pack still in her hands. "Put it down before it burns you," he ordered.

Scowling, she went to put it away, and had to run her hands under cold water afterward. She grabbed him an ice pack; there was no way his skin was ok after that. When she got back, though, Collin was calmly stretching his calf. She stared; his leg was fine.

"See something you like?" he asked without looking up.

"No ice pack?" she asked hollowly.

"Genetic condition," he repeated gently, looking up at her. "Don't worry about me. Are your hands ok?"

"They're fine," she snapped, tearing her eyes away from him. She grabbed his chart. "Dean's starting you on ten pound weights this week. Go slow. He'll be in to check on you soon."

"Tammy?" She turned around slowly. "Will you…stay?"

She checked her watch; she had another ten minutes before the next appointment came in. Slowly she sat down in the empty chair, gently correcting his form. "Keep your foot flexed."

"That way hurts," Collin protested.

"That's kinda the point," Tammy said. "How bad does it hurt?"

"I can handle it," he said quickly. She thought she heard him mutter something about a wolf, but she must have misheard. "So what's your official job title? Assistant torturer?"

Tammy realized he wanted her to talk, to distract him. "I'm a rehab tech. It's a pretty fancy term for laundry lady and hot pack heater. It's a pretty good job though, because I get credit for doing observation hours while I'm here. I have classes that require you to spend a certain amount of hours in a medical facility and watch. I'm lucky that I get paid to do it; a lot of my classmates are juggling other jobs and then sitting around physician's offices doing nothing."

She watched his face carefully. He seemed to relax as she spoke, but he was still a bit too red. "Take a break for a second."

"I'm good," he said stubbornly. "What are you in school for?"

She frowned. "I'm studying for my nursing license. That won't be for another three years, though."

"You're a sophomore?"

"Yes." He was starting to sweat a bit, and she could see lines forming on his face from the pain. She couldn't stand to just sit there and watch him be in pain. "Stop! You need a break." She took his weight forcibly and he sighed heavily. "Don't push yourself too hard, or you'll be back in a few months," she warned. "Are you in school?"

He shook his head. "I was lucky to graduate high school, honestly. I have a pretty nice security job, though. And some of my friends are opening their own business in a few months so I'll be helping out there. They fix cars." He grinned. "One of the only reasons I stayed in school was because my friend Jake promised that if I made it to graduation, we would do that senior prank where you disassemble a teacher's car and rebuild it inside the school hallway. Took us all night, almost. It was brilliant."

She smiled. "Sounds like you guys are pretty close."

He nodded. "Jake's actually in the waiting room with Brady right now. They're like my brothers." He suddenly seemed to decide he couldn't talk about that anymore, and took the weight from her gently.

Just then Dean knocked on the door and Tammy made herself scarce. She purposefully stayed busy and stayed away from Collin's examining room until his appointment was over.


	3. Chapter the Third

Chapter the Third

As Collin became a regular patient, they fell into an easy routine. She would sit in his room while he ran through his exercises, making sure to keep up a steady stream of chatter. She stayed away from anything too serious though, talking about the news, or reality tv, or her roommates. Sometimes, though, Collin would suddenly look at her so seriously that she would get disoriented and panicky and have to leave.

That was what had led her to doing the laundry instead of hanging out with Collin. She had asked him something relatively innocent, about his friends, and he had gazed at her with such intensity that she made up an excuse and left, afraid of what he would say.

Suddenly, she heard the door into the waiting room slam open. "Collin!" someone was shouting in the hallway. Tammy left the laundry she was folding to see Collin's friend running frantically down the hall, looking at all the doors.

"You can't be down here," she said hesitantly.

"It's important," he said, then did a double take at her. "Look, where is he?"

Tammy sighed. "Last door on the right. Make it quick."

He nodded, and down the hall, Collin was already opening the door and limping out. "Brady, what's going on?"

"Listen man, I've got to go…take care of some business at home," Brady said. "Sam says it's fine if you stay here-seriously," he cut across Collin's protests. "Stay, we'll be fine. Jake'll pick you up as soon as he can."

Collin nodded. "Yeah, go."

Brady gave him a mock salute and then literally ran out the door.

That was weird, Tammy thought. "Everything ok?" Tammy asked, as he rubbed his face wearily.

"I hope so," he said.

She nodded. "Listen," she said slowly. "My shift's over in twenty minutes. I can give you a ride if you need it."

He shook his head. "That's ok, I'm going all the way to La Push."

La Push? That was almost a half an hour drive for physical therapy. Wasn't there anywhere closer? She shrugged. "I live on the border of Forks and Port Angeles. It's not too out of my way."

His head snapped up at "Forks" and he gave her a long glance, as if he was thinking hard about something. "Alright," he nodded. "If you don't mind."

She smiled. "Of course not." Something in her just wanted to help Collin, even if it meant a little extra driving.

Collin's mind was spinning as he scrunched himself into Tammy's tiny car. She lived in Forks, the same town as the veggie vamps? He knew he could trust them, but he still didn't like that. And now there was a nomad vampire running loose around La Push, too close to her house.

He balled his hands into fists. He couldn't protect her with this strictly-professional relationship and an injured leg.

"Are you sure everything's ok?" Tammy asked quietly as she started the car up.

Collin exhaled. "Yeah, it'll be fine." He tried to smile at her, but he came out more as a grimace. He should be using this time to get to know his imprint more outside of work, convince her that he was normal and fun and perfect for her. "So why the long commute to work?" he asked conversationally.

"Rent's pretty expensive in the city," Tammy said. "And I don't know if I could ever really live here. I'd miss the green, and the trees. I like waking up to bird calls. I like living on a street where everyone waves when they see you and where everyone's nose is in your business. Port Angeles is nice, it's just too…city." She wrinkled her nose.

Collin smiled and nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. I spent half my childhood in a tree, or playing in mud, and I want the same for my kids." He cursed himself silently after he said that. It was way too early to mention kids! She was going to think he was crazy, but he couldn't help himself. It was natural to look at her and wonder if their kids would get her nose, or his eyes.

She just smiled though, not looking away from the road. "Me too. A bunch of kids running around in the garden, maybe a couple of dogs," Collin turned his laugh into a cough. "What?" He shook his head. She rolled her eyes. "Do you have a big family at home?"

Collin shook his head again. "I'm an only child. It was nice; I was always spoiled. I think that's why I want a big family someday though." Stop talking about kids! he berated himself. "What about you?"

"I have two older sisters and a little brother. You could never get into the bathroom at our house," she laughed.

"Are you guys still close?"

She nodded. "Pretty close. They're all back home in Montana, so I don't see them very often, but I talk to them a lot. I'm going back this summer for my sister's wedding, and to visit my nephews."

She seemed so happy talking about home, Collin thought. "Why are you so far away from all of them?" he asked gently.

Her smile disappeared. "I came out here for school after my mom died. I just needed to get away, you know? I'm taking classes at the university in Port Angeles," she added. "Maybe I'll move back some day."

Collin frowned, unsure what to say after that. Luckily they had come to the town line of La Push, and he directed her through the winding streets. He checked his cell phone every other second, his eyes uselessly scanning the forest. He wished he knew what was going on with the bloodsucker!

Tammy pulled into his driveway, and he had to stall for time. He wasn't letting her go if that thing was still out there somewhere.

"Listen, I didn't mean to pry before," he said uncertainly.

"No, it's fine," Tammy said, giving him an uncertain smile. "I'm sorry, I always get a bit homesick talking about my family." She pulled out her phone. "Want to see my nephews?"

He nodded and she eagerly showed him pictures of two boys, about six and two, dressed up in their Halloween outfits. Next was one of the older one on Tammy's back, both of them laughing, and one of Tammy holding a baby.

Collin bit his lip. It was too easy to pretend that that baby was their baby. Tammy would make a good mother some day. I should take her out on a date before I start thinking like this, he thought, irritated. He was way too young to start picking out baby names.

"They're cute," he said, as she flipped through a few more.

His phone buzzed with a message, and he wanted to shout with joy. "Sorry," he said, as he opened it. "Problem solved," it read. He sighed in relief.

"Well, I should probably get going," Tammy said nervously.

Collin nodded, then realized that that was the wrong thing to do when her face fell. "I'll see you Wednesday, right? Thanks for the ride. You're a life saver."

She smiled, and he suddenly felt like he could breathe again. "No problem." He limped slowly up the driveway to his door, knowing that she was waiting to make sure he got there ok. He smiled; it was kind of cute of her. When he finally made it, her car started and she drove away.

Collin sighed as he opened the door and leaned his crutch against the wall. His supernatural body was speeding up his healing time considerably, and he could walk with just a slight limp. Sam wouldn't hear of him phasing until he got cleared by the therapist, which he probably could be now. He knew the pack was getting anxious, waiting for him to be back in the patrol schedule, but he had to draw it out a bit longer. If he was evaluated by a therapist and cleared after only three weeks, it would seem too miraculous that he was already healed. He also might have been stretching it just a little longer to see Tammy.

His phone rang. "Collin? I know you wanted to stay in therapy longer to see your imprint, but I need you cleared so you can fight." Sam sounded tired. "He's just messing with us, but we drove him up north to Canada. I'm sorry, man, I need the whole pack."

Collin frowned, looking back at his crutch. "Just a little longer?" he asked. "It'll look weird if I'm all better too fast."

"Don't worry about that, we'll take care of it," Sam growled. "We'll have a bonfire or whatever, it'll be fine." Collin knew he was talking about Tammy, not his therapist's suspicion. "Emily's making dinner if you want to join," he said finally.

"No thanks, but tell everyone I say hi," Collin said, and hung up. He still felt really guilty for not being there this afternoon, and seeing the whole pack together so soon after a hunt wouldn't make anything better. And he had to figure out what to do about his imprint.

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	4. Chapter IV

Chapter IV

Wednesday, Collin came limping in, and his face lit up when he saw Tammy. Collin's appointments had become the bright spot in her days, she realized. He was funny and friendly. He made friends with the other patients, and the conversation flowed naturally between the two of them. She found herself checking her schedule every day to see if he was coming in, and then rushing through her other patients just to see him.

"Alright, Dean thinks you can handle a bit more weight on that leg, so he wants twenty pound reps this week," Tammy said, reading off his chart. "He wants to talk to you at the end of the appointment too. Maybe he'll start you on once a week appointments." She tried to smile as she said it. That was good; it meant Collin was healing, but she selfishly wanted to keep him coming in.

"I'll be out catching rascals and ruffians in no time," he joked, his smile dazzling. He had mentioned that he worked in security somewhere, and was eager to get back to it.

"Yeah, hopefully," she murmured.

"Hey Tammy, remember when you told me you would go out with me when I was healed?" Collin asked suddenly.

Tammy cleared her throat nervously. "I don't remember phrasing it quite like that…" She kept her eyes on his chart, pretending to check his progress.

"You will, though, won't you?" he asked hopefully.

She glanced up at him, which was a mistake. His deep brown eyes caught and held hers, begging her to say yes. What the heck, she thought. He won't be cleared for another two months, at least. "Sure, I'd like that."

He grinned brilliantly. "Great." Then he turned and grabbed the heavier weight and ran through his exercises faster than normal, despite her occasional comments to slow down. Soon he was done, and she left to grab his therapist, Dean.

"What are you all giggly about?" Laurie, the secretary, asked.

"He asked me out," she whispered.

"Who? Dean?"

Tammy rolled her eyes. Laurie was all efficiency and work, filing forms even as she gossiped. "No, Collin." Laurie looked at her blankly, so Tammy elaborated. "ACL patient. Really tall. Dean's 2:30 appointment."

"Oh, right. A patient? Don't worry, I won't say anything to Dean."

"Not 'til he's discharged!" Tammy hissed. "I know I can't date patients."

Laurie hummed in acknowledgment. "Good, I would hate to train another tech. Could you grab me Mrs. Richardson's file?"

Tammy sighed and found her the file. As she left the office, she almost ran into Dean and Collin.

"Just remarkable, really," Dean was saying. "I've never seen anything like it." They stopped near the door to the waiting room, and Dean passed Collin a few papers. She noticed that Collin was missing his crutch. "Now you have my number, and I want you to call and make an appointment if you start feeling any pain at all, understand? Keep doing your stretches at least once a day, and no heavy exercise for the next three weeks."

"Three weeks?" Collin protested.

"You're getting off light," Dean reminded him. "I want a follow up appointment in three months, as well." He gave Collin a searching look, then shook his hand. "Good luck. See you in a few months."

"A follow up?" Tammy said, as Dean turned around.

"I'm discharged," Collin said, grinning.

"It's only been a month," Tammy said, flabbergasted.

"Told you I heal fast."

As Collin turned to make a follow up with Laurie, Tammy rounded on his therapist.

Dean put up his hands passively. "Look, I couldn't believe it either, but he's got a full range of motion back. His leg's stronger than mine now; I can't keep making him come to appointments if he doesn't need it. I know it's…unusual…to recover so quickly…"

"It's impossible!" Tammy snapped. "ACLs don't heal that fast!"

"Look, I know it, you know it, he knows it. That doesn't change the fact that his leg is healed. Don't worry about him. When my 3:00 comes in, can you get them set up while I see Mrs. Richardson?"

Tammy nodded and he left. She could still feel heat behind her, though, and knew that Collin was still here. She turned warily.

"So…how's this Saturday?" he asked, smirking.

She glanced down at his injured leg. He jumped from foot to foot to demonstrate its health. "See? All good."

"No heavy exertion," she murmured, her mind spinning. How could he be fine? She had seen him limping just last week. He came in on crutches today. Had he been faking it?

"Ok, we'll save the heavy exertion for Saturday." He winked, eyes twinkling.

She laughed. "Stop it, or I won't give you my number."

He stopped jumping abruptly and pulled out his phone. She recited the numbers dutifully. "Great," he smiled down at her, looking like a kid at Christmas. "I'll see you Saturday."

"Bye," she said softly as he strode out the door.

"Stop watching me walk," Collin finally snapped on Saturday night.

Tammy's head snapped up. She was behind him, how could he have possibly seen that? "I wasn't watching you walk!"

"Then you were staring at my butt?" he asked, turning around to grin at her.

Tammy blushed. "Ok, I was looking for a limp," she admitted. She sped up until she was walking even with him. "So how do you do it, what's your secret?" she asked jokingly.

Collin started. He didn't want to lie to her, but he couldn't just come out and say that his werewolfy powers allow him to heal quickly. Instead he tried for a casual shrug. "I eat a lot of veggies. I also got this amazing physical therapy; it was like magic." She laughed. "Until the tech came in at the end and made me lift weights. That was like torture."

"You were probably a horrible patient. They probably gave you extra exercises," Tammy said with a straight face.

Collin gasped dramatically. "I thought I was a star pupil!" He made puppy dog eyes at her.

"More like teacher's pet," she snickered, then grabbed his hand when he looked offended. "I'm kidding. So where are we going?"

"My favorite Forksian restaurant," Collin said, pointing up ahead. It was a cute little Italian place Rachel had taken her once.

"I love this place!" Tammy said.

"Me too," he said, opening the door for her. As the waiter led them to a table, Collin could feel people turning to stare at them. At him. At how he was just a bit too tall, just a little too muscled. His supernatural hearing could pick out words like, "Sam Ulley's gang," "Steroids," and "Trouble-makers."

Unfortunately, Tammy noticed too. "Why is everyone looking at us?" she whispered.

"Don't worry about it," Collin said, trying for reassuring. "I probably have something in my teeth," he joked.

They ordered quickly, and despite the attention, had a nice dinner. Tammy laughed at his jokes, they sparred over movie choices, and agreed that mozzarella trumped cheddar.

Tammy was telling him how different Montana was from Washington when his phone rang. Collin wanted to ignore it, but he knew that the pack knew where he was tonight. And there was only one reason they'd be calling.

"I'm really sorry," he said, standing up and walking a bit away. "What?" he growled into the phone.

"Leah and Jared are chasing a leech on the northwest border. Sorry bro, all hands on deck," Embry said.

"I'm going to castrate Sam for this," he growled, snapping the phone shut. He had to be there _now_, but he had an imprint to look after first. "I'm so sorry, family emergency," he said. It was sort of true; the pack were his brothers…and sister.

"Is everything ok?" Tammy asked immediately.

Collin sensed the entire restaurant listening in and signaled the waiter for the check. "Yeah, it's fine. I just need to leave early. Can we take a rain check on the movie?"

"I guess." Tammy looked around uncertainly at their audience. He knew that she was looking at them all, looking at all of the odd facts, but he couldn't answer her questions now. There was a bloodsucker loose.

Collin paid quickly and then nearly dragged Tammy out. "Listen, I hate to do this, but can you drive a stick shift?" he asked. Tammy nodded, and he thrust her keys at her. "I would drive you home if I had time, but I can't. I'll come pick the truck up tomorrow." He made as if to leave, then stopped. "I had a really great time tonight."

"Me too," she whispered. "But I don't understand…"

He reached out and touched her cheek. "I'll explain later. Just promise you'll stay inside tonight? I'll see you tomorrow."

Then he turned and walked down the street quickly. Tammy stood next to his truck in shock for a minute, her hand touching her cheek. He _was _favoring his right leg a bit, she noticed dazedly, as she hauled herself into his truck.

"And then he just left!" Tammy finished, sitting next to Rachel on the couch. They had a bowl of popcorn between them that now held just kernels that Rachel was still picking over.

"That's really weird," Rachel said bluntly. "Do you think he's in a gang or something?"

"I don't know. There's something weird about him," she said, thinking of his unnatural healing time, high temperature, and mysterious phone calls. "People were whispering stuff like that at the restaurant. 'Sam Ulley's gang' and 'drug wars' and stuff. Can't be true though, right?"

"What?" Rachel sat up straight. "Sam Ulley's gang? What'd you say this guy's name was?"

"Colin Anderson."

"That little punk!" Rachel burst out. "He's friends with my little brother and that idiot Paul Meraz. They're always hanging out with these older guys; they're all really big and muscled and intimidating. And Sam Ulley orders them around like he thinks he's god."

"What? How do you know him?" Tammy asked.

Rachel gave her a flat stare. "I was born in La Push."

Tammy frowned. Rachel was obviously Native American; she just hadn't connected the dots. "So what should I do?"

Rachel's mouth twisted downward as she picked through the popcorn. "I don't know. You really like him?" She sighed when Tammy nodded. "Maybe it's time I visited home."

Questions, comments, concerns?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rachel Black was a force to be reckoned with, Tammy thought as Rachel drove them both over the highway and down the back country roads to the reservation. They were going to La Push under the guise of Rachel visiting home and bringing her friend for some good home cooking. In the meantime, though, Rachel wanted to sniff out the truth of these gang rumors involving her little brother and Collin.

"Dad, Jake, I'm home!" Rachel shouted as they entered the small house.

"Welcome back, honey; it's so good to see you." Rachel's father, an older man with lots of laugh lines in a wheelchair, hugged Rachel happily. "And you must be her roommate, Tammy." Billy reached out and shook her hand firmly. "I've heard so much about you."

"Pleasure to meet you." Tammy smiled

A younger, male version of Rachel came stumbling into the kitchen, yawning. "Rachel? Is it Christmas already? I think I forgot to buy presents."

Rachel threw her head back and laughed. "No, I'm just home for Sunday dinner, Jake." She hugged him despite his mumbled protests, rubbing his head affectionately. "Late night?" Jake shook his head. "Well come meet my roomie, Tammy."

Jake's head snapped up a bit too fast, but he covered his shock into a grin quickly. "Hi Tammy. So any embarrassing college stories about Rachel we should know?" She was struck, suddenly, by how similar he and Collin looked. They were both incredibly tall and tanned and muscled. Jake had a bit more of a mischievous glint to him than Collin did.

Tammy laughed. "I think I might have a few. Not til after dinner though."

"Speaking of which, I think the pork roast's almost done," Billy announced. He wheeled over to another door, through which Tammy could see a kitchen. "Jake, go wash up," he called over his shoulder. Jake rolled his eyes but left.

"You really think your little brother's in a gang?" Tammy hissed to Rachel. "Look at him, he probably still plays videogames."

Rachel shrugged. "Look, something's going on around here, and you know it. I'm going to figure it out." Rachel sighed. "You don't do anything; you suck at lying, no offense. Don't worry about it. I'm going to go set the table."

"Oh, I forgot the pie in the car," Tammy realized. She turned and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Jake asked suddenly from behind her. She jumped.

"To Rachel's car. I forgot the pie."

He nodded, looking at her intently for a moment.

"Have I met you before?" Tammy asked.

"Umm no, I don't think so," Jake said quickly. "I better go help Rachel with…the silverware."

Tammy nodded, finally escaping out the front door. That was weird, she thought.

During dinner, Billy kept the conversation fairly light, asking the girls about college and dispersing news about Rachel's twin, Becca, who was living in Hawaii. Tammy was itching to ask Jake about Collin, but for some reason she didn't want to do it in front of Billy. After dinner, though, she volunteered to help wash the dishes.

"So Jake, what do you do?" Tammy asked, passing him a pan to dry.

"I do a lot of odd jobs around the reservation. And I'm about to open a vehicle repair shop in a couple months. It's a little hectic with all the planning and…everything." He seemed to stop himself from saying something else.

Tammy nodded, thinking of Collin's friends that were also "opening a garage." That couldn't be code for criminal activities, could it? They lived on an Indian reservation, for crying out loud. Two thirds of the people here were fishers or worked at the national park. It was not a place with a conspicuous crime record.

Rachel came in with the last load of dishes from the dining room just as someone knocked on the door. "You expecting anyone?" she asked her brother, who shook his head. Rachel opened the door and huffed out a breath. "What can I do for you, Paul?" she asked in a sharp tone.

Tammy turned to see another huge man standing in the doorway, staring at Rachel in shock. "Rachel?" he gasped out after a minute. "You're…back?"

"Just visiting," she said crisply. "Well, Meraz? What're you doing here?"

Paul's mouth opened and closed a couple of times without saying anything. "I…Jake…the bonfire?" It came out as a question and he looked to Jake, almost for guidance.

Jake stared at Paul for a moment, and it was almost like they were communicating silently. After a long moment, Jake seemed to become very angry, gritting his teeth as he said, "What this idiot Paul was trying to say was that there is a bonfire tonight on the beach, and you two might want to come."

Rachel looked from Paul to Jake slowly. "A bonfire? Who's going?"

Paul seemed to find his voice finally. "Just a few friends. Leah and Seth Clearwater. Jared Thrail. Embry and Quil. You know, a bunch of kids from high school. It'll be like a reunion."

Rachel smiled, almost victoriously. "Sounds like fun."

"All right then, we'll meet you outside in a few minutes. I wanted to show Paul something in the garage," Jake said meaningfully, striding quickly out the back door. Paul threw one last glance at Rachel before following.

"Come on, my room's right by the garage window," Rachel said quickly, running into the hallway. They raced into a small bedroom with two neat twin beds and a wide window into the backyard. They crouched right underneath the window, giving them a perfect listening spot for the garage. It was completely silent for a few minutes, and then a huge crash. A minute later, Jake walked out, looking serious. Paul didn't emerge for several moments, and he was rubbing his jaw hard, like someone had hit it. But he had no bruise, and there was no sign of whatever had made the huge crash.

"Rach! Let's go!" Jake shouted from the front of the house. Rachel gave Tammy a look that clearly said, "Relax, it'll be fine," that did nothing to calm Tammy's nerves.

"Rachel Black!" a girl shouted out as they walked up to the bonfire. The boys had disappeared somewhere.

Rachel laughed and embraced the other. "Leah! How've you been?" They exchanged stories quickly about Rachel visiting home and Leah working for the reservation council before Rachel grabbed Tammy and started introducing her around. Everyone was from the Quileute tribe, and young, though most were tall and well-built, but gave friendly smiles when introduced. The names flew in one ear and out the other, until Rachel listed off, "Embry and Quil and Brady."

Brady, from his seat across the fire, looked up in shock to hear his name. He quickly rearranged his features into a smile as he approached them. Tammy thought it was weirdly similar to how Rachel's brother had looked upon seeing her. "Hi Rachel, Tammy, what're you doing here?" He was looking around, as if he expected to see someone else with them.

"Paul invited us," Tammy said. Brady's mouth fell open. "Is…is Collin here?"

"_Tammy_?"

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><p>I'm really sorry this took so long to get uploaded. College+real world got a little busy. Hope this one was ok :)<p> 


	6. Chapter Seis

Chapter Seis

"_Tammy_?" Something about Collin's voice was so distinctive in the way he said her name. A chill went down her spin as she turned to face him. He was standing behind them, as if he had just walked out of the woods, in only a pair of jean shorts. Tammy blushed as she pulled her eyes away from his bare chest to his face and found him studying her intently, as if checking her for injury. "I went to your house to get my truck. You weren't there. I was…worried."

Tammy shrugged. "Well, no big deal, I'm fine. I came to La Push with my roommate to visit her family. Did your family emergency…" Tammy stopped as she abruptly felt all eyes turn to them. "Is everything ok?" she asked instead.

"Everything's fine now," Collin said, though his smile was somewhat guarded. "Can we talk?"

"Yes," Tammy said, relieved. She felt wrong and guilty here spying on Collin and his friends. She would really just rather ask him flat out what was going on.

"Wait, the elders are here," Brady said quietly.

"Later, let's talk?" Collin asked, his eyes pleading. Tammy nodded. People around them were gradually settling into seats on wood logs or beach blankets, and Collin pulled her gently towards a bench.

"Dad?" Rachel said loudly. "What are you doing here?" She was standing, looking accusingly at her father, who had just arrived with a few other older people.

"Rachel? What are you doing here?" Billy seemed just as shocked to see his daughter, but, as he scanned the crowd, not as surprised to see Tammy.

"I invited her," Paul spoke up loudly from his seat next to Rachel.

"Oh?" Billy's voice became serious. "When did you do that?"

"About an hour ago." Paul held Billy's gaze defiantly, proudly. "And I'm glad I did."

Billy nodded solemnly, but it seemed to be more than just an acknowledgment of what Paul had said. He sighed loudly and gestured for everyone to sit down. "All right, friends, we gather to remember, and to tell the stories of our tribe." His voice fell deeper, more melodic as he began to recite the folktales of the Quileute people. Tammy was rapt as Billy told of the chieftain Taka Ahi who was able to take in the spirit of a wolf and transform his body into a wolf.

Just as he came to the dramatic conclusion of the tale, in which the Third Wife sacrifices herself to save the tribe, Tammy saw Rachel stand suddenly and begin pushing her way out of the seated area. Paul reached out for her, but she slapped him away, rounding on him. "Don't tell me to calm down!" she shrieked. "You were all in on this, weren't you?" She whirled angrily towards her father, who had stopped the story right before the end and was looking grim. Rachel pointed an accusing finger at him. "Are you kidding me? Is that what you've all been doing this whole time? Going off on 'tribal business'? All these lies and secrecy!"

Jake was standing too, now, moving towards his sister. "Rach, we wanted to tell you…"

Rachel laughed, bordering on hysteria. "Really, that's all you can say to me? You're a…whatever you are? When were you going to tell me? Or Becca? Will you two ever tell her?"

Tammy frowned, looking over at Collin, who had a worried expression. "What's she talking about?"

"I was going to tell you, I swear," he said quickly.

Jake growled in frustration at Rachel. "What was I supposed to say? You both moved out so quickly after it happened?"

Tammy heard his growl and froze. Her mind was whirring over the evidence. Fast healing time. Extra body heat. Unusual size and strength. Catches criminals on the weekend. The stories that Billy had told were still playing through her mind, mixing fact and fiction. Tammy stood up, unconsciously putting space between herself and Collin. "You're a…you don't…" she stuttered. "Werewolf?"

He caught one of her hands, holding it between both of his huge ones. "Yes, but…I…" His expression was crumbling from her reaction. "Tammy?"

"Tammy?" Rachel asked, but in a more demanding way.

Tammy tore her eyes away from Collin's. Rachel was standing at the edge of the firelight, looking at her impatiently. She was clearly about to leave. Collin squeezed her hand; she hadn't noticed he was still holding it. She stared at him for a long moment: Collin, who was so carefree, so happy, so joking, so sweet. Collin, who turned into a wolf.

She slowly pulled her hand back and walked away from him to join Rachel, who was determinedly not looking at her family. "Let's go," Rachel said, grabbing Tammy's arm and pulling her to the car.


	7. Chapter VII

Chapter Seven

Rachel had driven them both home furiously, silently simmering over the betrayal of her father and her brother. Tammy had seen her like this: if you tried to talk to her, she would lash out at you too. But she also needed someone there.

"Wanna stay over?" she asked quietly as Rachel's little car roared onto the freeway. "We'll order Chinese."

Rachel looked over at her sidelong. "What are you going to do about this?" she asked, instead of answering the question. "You and Collin?"

Tammy had been wondering that for the past half hour. She shrugged. "If his biggest problem is that he was born with a weird ability to morph into a wolf, then I guess I can't complain. He's a great guy, I mean; we're not that serious, though."

"I don't know, Tammy. There are too many secrets. We still don't know everything. It doesn't add up. Why would they tell us? Why now? I'm Jake's sister for God's sake! And Becca, she still doesn't know! Our brother turns into a werewolf and for some reason no one thought to mention it to us. It's too weird. Why did they tell us so suddenly?" Rachel shook her head. "I don't trust them. How can I now, ever?"

Tammy knew better than to respond to any of those questions. Anything she could have said could set her friend off on another angry rant. Instead she stared out at the dark forest flying by the car window. Rachel had a good point: they seemed like a close-knit, secretive group of people. Why would they invite Rachel in now, after so many years, and Tammy herself, barely knowing her? And yet, if Tammy hadn't been so shocked, if Rachel hadn't needed to leave and made her choose, she was pretty sure that Collin could have explained.

Rachel slept on Tammy's couch that night, after a late, tense night. Tammy tried to put a movie in, but Rachel would randomly spring to her feet and start pacing. At one point she called her sister Becca, but when Tammy asked, she insisted that she hadn't told her about Jake's secret. Her houseguest finally fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning, and Tammy crept off to bed for a few hours.

When she left work the next day, she found Collin waiting outside for her. She stopped in shock, and for a long moment just stared at him. He looked uncharacteristically serious, a wrinkle furrowed in his brow. "Hi," he said with a half-hearted smile. He held up a backpack. "I brought food. Want to talk somewhere less…public?"

Tammy hesitated for the briefest second before she agreed. They opted to take her car; Tammy didn't see any human form of transportation that Collin could have used to get there. It was completely silent for the beginning of the ride. Tammy fidgeted awkwardly, unsure of what to say. She had a hard time reconciling the Collin that she knew with the serious man before her. What did he want with her? Was she in trouble now that she knew his secret? Was this where he drove her out to the middle of the forest and killed her?

Collin sighed loudly. "Look, you're driving, my hands are where you can see them, and my bag's full of food. Please calm down."

"I am calm," Tammy said stubbornly.

"I think the steering wheel wants to breathe then," Collin said jokingly. Tammy forced herself to stop gripping the wheel so tightly and took a deep breath. "Sooo…" Collin said slowly. "How was Rachel last night?"

Tammy pulled to the side of the road so that she could look at him. "What's going on, Collin? What…what are you?"

Collin fiddled with his hands for a long moment before he answered. "The technical term is a shapeshifter. I can change voluntarily, no full moon needed. I'm super-fast, super-strong, augmented senses." His voice was unemotional and detached as he told her. "There's a few other things, but I think you need time to…absorb it all."

"No," Tammy said firmly. "No more secrets. Why are you telling me this? Why now?"

"Well, there's this thing, with shapeshifters." Collin's voice trailed off. He refused to meet her eyes. "Sometimes, a shifter looks at someone, and the wolf inside them will…claim them? Want them? Choose them? It's called imprinting, and it's like finding your soul mate. I…umm…that first day of therapy, when I met you, I imprinted."

Tammy's hands tightened on the wheel. "Collin, I wanted the truth, not some crap about soul mates."

Collin reached over and grabbed her hand. "No, look, it's true! I just knew that you were the one for me, the first time I saw you. That's why my first appointment was so weird." He started talking faster, his voice panicked and unsure. "I mean, this doesn't change anything between us, not really. I would have asked you out eventually, just not when we first met. The imprint, it just…speeds things along sometimes."

Tammy stared at their joined hands. "Ok, so you're a werewolf," she said slowly. "And you think I'm your…soul mate."

Collin sighed. "Yes, that's the gist of it."

Tammy stared at his big, tanned hand, completely engulfing her smaller one. She had a sudden vision of her small hand with a wedding band on it. That's what he meant, didn't he? She had only known him a month, and he thought that they were it for each other. Her brain refused to comprehend such a concept; she was only nineteen for god's sake!

Collin's hand tightened over hers, and she became aware of the fact that her breathing was speeding up as she panicked.

"Tammy?" he asked uncertainly.

She had to get away from this, from him. She liked him, but for him to say these things, to claim that some wolf in him decided that they were soulmates, was breaking her heart. This wasn't how things worked in the normal world; they had barely been on one date, and now he was practically proposing! She couldn't let herself get dragged into this weird world of myths and cults and arranged marriages. "Please get out," she said quietly, tugging her hand away from him.

Colin shut his eyes for a moment, a look of pain passing over his face. "If that's what you want." He paused with his hand on the door handle. "I meant what I said, Tammy. You're it for me, so I'll wait for you, if that's what you need. You know how to find me."

Tammy couldn't look him in the face, but she heard the door open and felt the loss of his weight throw the car back. She stared down at the steering wheel for a long time before she finally turned the car back on.

* * *

><p>"You bitch," was what Brady said to her as soon as she got out of her car at work the next morning. It wasn't loud, or malicious, but it was definitely there.<p>

Tammy sighed. She was already depressed enough, dwelling over everything that had transpired the past two days. She was relatively certain that she had nothing to fear from the…wolves, since Collin had just left yesterday, when he could have easily killed or kidnapped her. Oh, and because he thought he was her soul mate. "What do you want, Brady?"

"I want you to get over yourself and give Collin a chance," Brady snapped. "The poor guy's…" he stopped himself. "Look, I think he deserves a chance to explain the whole imprinting thing."

Tammy made a noncommittal noise. He was pretty set in his beliefs, and she had no energy or desire to convince him otherwise. "Have you…have you done it?" she asked quietly.

"Imprinted?" Brady chuckled loudly. "Nah, not yet, Just me and Seth, the lone wolves." He collapsed into another round of guffaws. He settled down slowly, and looked pensive. "I never really wanted to, until I see—until I hear about—the other guys' imprints. It's not…I mean, I don't really want it right now, but they guys who have imprinted are so...delighted by it." He rubbed the back of his neck, apparently uncomfortable at having been caught expressing these thoughts. "But don't tell Collin I got all sentimental."

Tammy smiled. "Your secret's safe with me." She paused, looking up at her work building and wondering how much longer she could delay going inside. "Do I…does the imprint affect me? Am I destined for him?"

Brady frowned. "I'm really not the right person to be talking to this about. You need to talk to Brady." His mouth twisted upwards a bit. "You did have a pretty easy time of turning him down yesterday, though, huh?"

Tammy sighed. "He told you about that?" Brady nodded. "Is he…upset?"

"A little bit, yeah." Brady's expression became a full-out smirk. "Listen, I know this is terribly upsetting when it first gets burst on you…oh my god, giant wolves, and mythical creatures and good versus evil," his voice was mockingly high pitched, "but you really get used to it. Soon, you won't notice it at all." Tammy snorted. "Ok, you'll probably be aware of it, but seriously, it's not as crazy as I know it sounds like now. And I know that Emily, Sam's imprint, would absolutely love to talk to you anytime, if you wanted to talk about…like, girl stuff or something." He rubbed a hand through his hair.

"Umm thanks, Brady. I'll keep that in mind, I guess," Tammy said. She glanced at her work building again. "I really should get going…"

Brady nodded and passed her a piece of paper with a phone number. "Just in case," he said. "Think about it." And then he was gone, swinging into his ancient blue truck and driving away.

Tammy sighed again, staring at the seven digits. She was almost certain that Collin would not send Brady here to campaign on his behalf, but still…

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><p>Thanks for the reviews :) ya'll rock<p> 


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